PMMB Maintains PFB Supported Dairy Price 3-21-2017

(Harrisburg) – Pennsylvania Farm Bureau (PFB) recognized the Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board (PMMB) for maintaining the Class I over-order premium price for milk at $1.60 per hundredweight and for continuing the current fuel adjuster of $0.25 per hundredweight for the six-month period beginning April 1, 2017.

“We appreciate the board coming to its decision to maintain the existing premium price for milk after thoroughly reviewing all the testimony and evidence presented by Farm Bureau and other key stakeholders,” said PFB President Rick Ebert. “The testimony presented by PFB and others clearly showed that continuation of the level of over-order premium was needed for Pennsylvania dairy farmers.”

During testimony before PMMB on February 28, Farm Bureau asserted that it’s no secret that dairy farmers are still facing extremely difficult economic conditions due to depressed milk prices in 2015 and 2016.

“One of the biggest challenges facing dairy farmers is that it takes a long time for our businesses to recover from extended periods of low milk prices,” said Somerset County dairy farmer Glenn Stoltzfus, who is a member of PFB’s State Board of Directors and chairman of its state Dairy Committee. “Maintaining the over-order premium will help provide some needed relief from depressed milk prices.”

The over-order premium and the fuel adjuster add-on mandated by PMMB are assessed on Class I (fluid) milk that is produced, processed and sold entirely within Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Farm Bureau is the state’s largest farm organization with a volunteer membership of nearly 62,000 farm and rural families, representing farms of every size and commodity across Pennsylvania.###